Terry

Mitch

~Thanks for all the inspiration and motivation!!!
Diana

Studies tell us that between the ages of 20 and 30, without weight-resistant exercise, we begin to lose muscle. As we age, the rate at which we lose seems to increase slightly. As we lose muscle, our basal metabolic rate slows down, which means we are burning fewer calories. This change in metabolism generally means a gain in fat. Let’s say that between the ages of 30 and 40, we have lost 10 pounds of muscle and gained about 10 pounds of fat. That means that in 10 years, we would have a 20-pound body composition change and still weigh the same amount.

There is another interesting aspect to muscle. Muscle is denser and takes up much less space than fat. You could therefore maintain the same weight you are now and be 2 sizes smaller by gaining 10 pounds of muscle and losing 10 pounds of fat. Just think, by increasing your muscle, or your lean body mass by 10 pounds, you would increase your metabolic rate by about 350 calories a day. Just gaining 5 pounds of muscle would increase your calorie expenditure by 175 calories a day. That’s 63,875 calories or 18 pounds a year.

No wonder as we age it is so easy to gain fat simply by not exercising. Many people are frustrated by the fact that they eat just as they always have, but now they are gaining weight, not realizing that each year without resistance exercise, their metabolisms are slowing down. Exercise is the only way to reverse this effect of aging.

*Many people, especially women, are afraid of getting “too muscley,” so they avoid strength-training exercises altogether. I know because I used to be one of those people, but that was before I discovered that muscle not only makes you feel better and look more toned, it also greatly increases your body’s ability to burn fat. After so many years of starvation dieting, my metabolism needed to be raised from the dead. It seemed as though it was impossible for me to lose weight and keep it off. Replacing lost muscle was crucial to reaching and maintaining my weight-loss goals.

Now, don’t worry about looking like the Incredible Hulk. You won’t. You’ll just look fit because that’s what you’ll be—FIT! Embark on this strength-training program and watch your body composition start changing.

From improving how we feel, how we look, and how we think to increasing our life expectancy, the ability to exercise and literally change the quality of our lives is something we should be thankful for. Exercise is not only an anti-depressant, but it increases the quality of our sleep. Another one of its greatest benefits is that it’s never too late to start! Even beginning an exercise program in our later years can greatly improve our health and mobility. It is vital that we continue to use our bodies so that we don’t lose our physical capabilities. We should plan on growing old well able to enjoy an active lifestyle!

While there are a million “do’s” and “don’ts” where nutrition is concerned, I’m going to give you 10 “do’s” that will move you closer to where you want to be. I’ve learned that in doing the “do’s,” many “don’ts” will automatically take care of themselves. It is much more effective to keep our focus on what we should do instead of always thinking about what we shouldn’t do. So don’t be discouraged if you’re a junk-food junkie, because these ideas can easily be implemented into your diet. If you replace a Coke with a piece of fruit today, you are one step closer to higher fitness.

Remember to focus more on the foods that you must eat to increase your health, and not so much on what you shouldn’t have.

1. Do add at least 1 cup of vegetables to your daily diet. Studies show we need 3-5 servings of vegetables a day to nourish our bodies and help prevent disease. One serving is 1/2 cup chopped raw vegetables, 1/2 cup cooked vegetables, or 1 cup raw leafy vegetables. 3-5 servings is the goal, but not your first step. Your first step is simply to increase your daily vegetable intake by 1 cup. Plan on having at least a cup more than you are having now. No, French fries and ketchup don’t count. One of the easiest ways to get a cup of raw vegetables is to have a salad. Make an effort to make your salad with several raw vegetables and add the lettuce last. Try dipping your fork into your dressing to avoid consuming too many calories.

2. Do eat at least 1 piece of fresh fruit every day. If you are already eating 1, then increase it to 2. It’s more fun to eat healthy if you give your taste buds a little variety. Have a banana and strawberries one day, and an apple and orange the next. Or make a fruit salad on Sunday night to last you all week. Because of the amount of natural sugar in fruit, it is a good idea to have your fruit by midafternoon if your goal right now is weight loss.

3. Do increase your water intake. Headaches are sometimes brought on by insufficient water intake. You simply cannot be healthy without drinking enough water. Water helps cleanse your body and is necessary for fat loss. Water can help your complexion and even boost your mood. Your goal would be about 64 ounces of water for the average-sized person, more if you are bigger or when engaging in physical exercise. Remember, progressive change is the name of the game. If you haven’t been drinking any water, start with 2 glasses a day. If you’ve been drinking 2 glasses, increase to 4, and so on.

Sometimes it’s very difficult to find time to fill up and drink 8 glasses of water. Here’s a tip that really makes it easier for me. I keep a couple of 33-ounce water bottles in the fridge. Somehow it seems really easy to guzzle down 2 of those a day. It’s also a good idea to keep a water bottle in the car, next to your computer at work, in the kitchen, on your nightstand, and anywhere else you find yourself throughout the day. That way, you’ll have a water bottle handy all day as you sip your way to 64 ounces. Simply refill your bottles at your kitchen sink, but remember, the purer your water, the better. Purchasing a purification system such as reverse osmosis is an excellent idea.

4. Do add a high-fiber cereal to your diet. If cereal is your breakfast of choice, keep the excellent health benefits of fiber in mind. According to the USDA Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center in Maryland, increasing your fiber intake will help you digest about 130 fewer calories per day. (A 1/2 cup of All Bran cereal has 10 grams of fiber.) If you don’t like the high-fiber cereal choices on the market, then simply mix a little bit of a high-fiber variety with your regular cereal. You can also add berries to your cereal for a more healthful breakfast. Blueberries are chock full of antioxidants, those cancer fighting agents.

5. Do try a higher protein breakfast a couple of days a week. It’s great to eat some lean protein at every meal. When I eat protein with breakfast, I don’t get as hungry as quickly. Make Tuesdays and Thursdays omelet days. Mix a couple of eggs with peppers, onions, and mushrooms. If you regularly eat a lot of eggs, try 1 whole egg and 3 or 4 egg whites. This will cut your cholesterol and still taste great! For that extra splash of taste add some picante sauce. (This is making me hungry.)

6. Do add whole grains to your diet. The best choices are at the health food store, but there are some decent ones at the supermarket. Whole grain breads are so much more nutritious than enriched wheat or white. I have white and enriched wheat bread on my “junk food” list and whole wheat and whole grain on my “healthy” list. A turkey, chicken, or tuna sandwich with lettuce and tomato is much more satisfying on denser bread than on white bread. If you’ve never tried it before, sneak it into your diet gradually. Have a slice with your breakfast with a thin spread of all-fruit jelly or peanut butter.

7. Do add fish to your family’s diet. Try baked, broiled, or grilled fish at least once every 1-2 weeks. Salmon and orange roughy are my favorites. Salmon and some other cold-water fish contain EFAs (Essential Fatty Acids). These unsaturated fats are not produced by the body and are needed in a healthy diet to help prevent disease. I wrap the orange roughy in foil, season with Mrs. Dash garlic and herb, lemon juice, and cover it with onion and red, yellow, and green peppers. Sometimes I use different veggies. Bake and serve. Experiment with different fish recipes until you find some that your family will eat. It’s a great alternative to chicken!

8. Do plan ahead! Reserve a piece of fruit, string cheese, or half a turkey sandwich and a bottle of water for your ride home from work or school. It is very important to stabilize your blood sugar level in the afternoon to avoid excessive eating in the evening. This seems to be the most difficult time of day for people-the time when they munch uncontrollably, consuming way too many calories and unhealthy snacks. So keep your blood sugar level stable by eating something small and healthy every three or four hours-especially at peak hungry times. Never come home from a stressful day famished.

9. Do use olive oil when cooking with fat. Olive oil is an Omega 6 Essential Fatty Acid and is unsaturated. Of course, if your goal is fat loss, you will want to use your oil in smaller portions. Nonfat cooking sprays are also a good choice when olive oil is inappropriate.

10. Do get the kids involved. One night a week try making homemade pizza or something else they might enjoy. Be sure to have all their favorite ingredients and let them take turns creating their own recipes. Start with a regular or whole-wheat pizza crust, tomato sauce, part skim mozzarella cheese, and any favorite vegetables. If they like chicken or hamburger, simply let “pizza night” follow a previous meal of chicken or beef. Using leftovers is a great way to save time. Encourage them to have fun. When you perfect a pizza creation that everyone likes, be sure and write down the recipe so you won’t forget it. This will be a great way to spend some family time together, and your kids will probably keep using these recipes when they leave home.

—Psalm 107: 9, NKJV

Inside every heart and soul is the hunger to experience God’s unconditional love. This love cannot be earned. It is a free gift to be received, therefore glorifying the gift itself. God is love, and His love feeds our spirit, satisfies our soul, and strengthens our physical body. It is the life and power of His love that enables us to live a fulfilled life. Many times, when our hearts are hungry for this experience, we “feed” that hunger with a variety of substances. Whenever we are spiritually low on love, we simply have less to give, and our lives become much more challenging. We must always take the time to honor God’s gift of love so that we can strengthen ourselves and better love those around us. We must take the necessary time to feed our spirits.

For spiritual strength to come, we must nourish our spirit consistently. Here are 10 spiritual snacks to chew on every day. Take 10 minutes to repeat these out loud to allow them to get down into your heart. This is a process that can take time. This is a process that can change the rest of your life. Please continue to update your list as you search for those scriptures that particularly speak to your heart. Let’s start with this simple prayer: “Lord, help these scriptures to come alive to me and help me to greater understand the love that you have for me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

1. Proverbs 4:20-22 (NIV)-”My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body.”

2. Psalm 63:1-5 (NKJV)-”O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.”

3. Deuteronomy 28:2-8 (KJV)-”And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.”

4. Psalm 103:1-5 (KJV)-”Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

5. Isaiah 55:10-11 (KJV)-”For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”

6. 1 John 4:7-12 (KJV)-”Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.”

7. James 1:12 (KJV)-”Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”

8. Psalm 91:1-11 (KJV)-”He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his trust shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling, for he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.”

9. Proverbs 16:3 (AMP)-”Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.”

10. Joshua 1:8 (AMP)-”This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success.”

I love this verse because it makes it very clear that God desires for us to prosper in every area of our lives—spirit, soul and body. All three areas are vitally connected and we must not neglect our spiritual, emotional or physical development.

But today, I want to focus on our physical fitness. God made our bodies to function in a certain way. Healthy eating habits and exercise are necessary for us to “keep well” and prosper in our bodies. Statistics reveal, however, that most people are not very healthy. Poor nutrition is a factor, but living a sedentary lifestyle seems to be the major issue.

If you find that hard to believe, then consider these findings from a recent study by the World Health Organization:

* A sedentary lifestyle is one of the 10 leading causes of death, disease and disability in the world.

* Physical inactivity increases all causes of mortality, doubles the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity. It also increases the risk of colon and breast cancer, high blood pressure, lipid disorders, osteoporosis, depression and anxiety.

* 60-85 percent of the adult population worldwide lead a sedentary life (meaning they are physically inactive at work and home, and fail to exercise for at least 20 continuous minutes, three times a week).

Simply put—many people are not healthy because they don’t exercise.

God created our bodies to be active. When we exercise, our bodies respond by becoming stronger and healthier. And while that’s important for numerous reasons, the Apostle Paul brings several of the main reasons to our attention when he says: “Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own. You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, The Amplified Bible).

Think about that. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.

As believers, we desire to honor God and bring glory to Him in our bodies. One way we can do that is by being healthy. One way to be healthy is to exercise.

Stepping Out

I believe the easiest and best way to get the exercise you need is simply to put one foot in front of the other—and start walking! All it takes is clearance from your doctor and a good pair of shoes. If you can only walk for a few minutes and then need to rest, that’s OK. Start where you are and slowly increase the speed and duration of your walks. A good rule of thumb is to increase the time spent exercising no more than 10 percent per week. Don’t expect to go from ground zero to perfection. But by gradually increasing the amount of exercise you do, you can expect to improve your overall fitness level in as little as six to eight weeks.

Walking is an excellent exercise routine that can be adapted to fit any lifestyle or schedule. You can walk just about anywhere, any time—in a park, along the beach, in your neighborhood, at the mall, on a treadmill or up and down the stairs at work. And it’s fun! Especially when you walk with a friend. It’s good for your soul! Having a walking partner—being accountable to someone—can also help you stay consistent in exercising.

Hiking or walking with your family is a great way to strengthen your relationships while teaching your children to embrace exercise as a lifestyle and enjoy it. The Bible admonishes us to “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). With childhood obesity dramatically on the rise—from 4 percent in 1982, to a staggering 25 percent of all Caucasian children and 33 percent of all African-American and Hispanic children in 2001—parents need to be proactive in training their children to eat right and exercise consistently.

Walking by yourself can also be very beneficial in a number of ways. It’s a perfect time to unwind, quiet your mind and talk to the Lord after a hectic day. It’s also a wonderful opportunity to listen to a teaching tape or pray in the spirit and build up your faith (Jude 20). You can strengthen your spirit as well as your body while you walk.

In the Zone

Again, when walking for exercise, it is important to start where you are and progress from there—take into consideration your gender, age and fitness level. Your goal should be to walk briskly enough for your heart to reach its “target heart rate zone” which means:

* your heart beats faster than normal but is not racing,

* your breathing is deeper than usual but conversation is still possible, and

* you experience a warm, glowing feeling.

When you are exercising in your target heart rate zone, your body is working hard enough to strengthen your heart muscle, lungs and cardiovascular system.

To keep your heart rate in your target zone, follow this simple equation:

MHR (maximum heart rate) = 220 – (your age)
Target Heart Rate Zone = MHR x .60 to MHR x .85
Example-age 40:
220-40 = 180
180 x .60 = 108 (low end target zone)
180 x .85 = 153 (high end target zone)

If you are age 40, your Target Heart Rate Zone would be 108-153. (To measure your heart rate: take your pulse for a 10-second count and multiply the number of beats times 6.)

Walking briskly is terrific aerobic exercise! You’ll love the benefits of it.

For years, fitness experts believed strenuous exercise was the best way to stay fit, lose weight and strengthen endurance. Recent research, however, is proving more moderate exercise provides similar benefits. The Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research in Dallas has found that walking 30 minutes a day, three times a week, does provide cardiovascular benefits. If weight loss is your goal, then the institute suggests you increase your walking time to 45-60 minutes, five to six times a week.

More strenuous activity can provide further health benefits. As you strive for a higher level of fitness, you may want to include some form of impact exercise or weight-training in your routine. (For information about how to do that, visit my Web site at martycopeland.com).

After you begin walking, you’ll quickly realize that exercise is well worth the effort. In the same way a sedentary lifestyle causes numerous health problems, a physically active lifestyle provides many health benefits. Exercise strengthens your heart, reduces stress, helps maintain healthy bones and joints, protects against high blood pressure and diabetes, and decreases body fat. It also boosts your immune system, improves mental cognition and provides a sense of well-being.

Not only that, nearly 30 studies have shown that women who exercise at moderate to vigorous levels for three or more hours per week reduce their risk of getting breast cancer by 30 to 40 percent.

So, why not put on your sneakers today and head toward higher fitness-one step at a time! As you do, commit that time to the Lord. You may want to include this prayer in your routine.

Father God, I present my body to You as a living sacrifice. I offer this time of exercise to You as a time of worship, to glorify You in my body. I purpose in my heart to sow self-control, endurance and faithfulness and I believe I receive a hundredfold return. I earnestly expect to become more and more like Jesus. Therefore, I press toward that goal for the prize of my high calling. I decree that with every step I take, I am increasing in health, strength and discipline. Thank You for anointing me to succeed as I prove Your good and perfect will in my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.